Flamengo seek €5m loan but banking on €22m of player sales
February 10 – Brazilian club Flamengo is seeking a €5.3 million loan to provide working capital for the start of the 2021 season.
Trial of 150 ‘Healthcare passes’ for Fenerbahce fans ruined by ill wind of abuse
February 10 – The Turkish Football Federation (TFF) decision to break coronavirus stadium lock-out rules and allow privileged access to 150 healthcare workers in for the Fenerbahce vs Galatasaray derby backfired at the weekend.
AYX onboard with Roma to bring Asian focus as regional betting partner
February 10 – The market for betting sponsorship of Italian clubs may be drying up domestically as gambling authorities move in with new rules, but the appetite for promotion in international markets is still there.
Big money Manchester clubs rack up net transfer losses of €1.2bn
February 10 – In a city where the lead striker of one of the world’s biggest clubs collects honours for fighting a campaign to maintain free school meals and fight child hunger, the clubs themselves have gorged on the transfer market at world leading levels.
Release rule quarantined: FIFA says clubs can hold on to players in March window
February 9 – FIFA is extending until the end of April its relaxation of the rules that force clubs to release players for international duty.
Qatar plans focussed on full stadia for 2022 World Cup
February 9 – Qatar’s 2022 World Cup organisers say they are anticipating full stadiums when the tournament takes place in 21 months’ time.
Bayern breeze past Al Ahly to set Club World Cup final against Tigres
February 9 – Bayern Munich completed the line-up for the Club World Cup final following a brace from Robert Lewandowksi in a routine 2-0 win over African Champions Al Ahly in the semi-finals.
MLS agrees pay deal with players’ union to 2027 and stays on course for April kick off
February 9 – Major League Soccer (MLS) and the players union (MLSPA) have voted to ratify the amended collective bargaining agreement (CBA) that will govern their relation until 2027, avoiding a potential lockout or strike before the new season kicks off.
Premier League’s data giants take ticketed fans to court for collecting stats
February 9 – The battle over who can collect match data from Premier League stadia took another ugly turn early this week when official data provider Genius Sports Group sued Sportradar in the UK saying it was illegally sending ‘data scouts’ to matches.
AFC adds new broadcasters in Asia and Europe for 2021-24 rights cycle
February 9 – The Asian Football Confederation (AFC) has increased the pace of its broadcast rights sales with two new partners announced for its 2021 to 2024 rights cycle, one in Europe and one Asia.
Hungary becomes Germany’s second home as now Monchengladbach take Man City to Budapest
February 9 – A second successive Champions League last-16 game as been switched to neutral ground in Hungary due to Covid-19 travel restrictions in Germany.
Premier League ref Dean asks for time out after fans send death threats
February 9 – English Premier League referee Mike Dean has asked not to officiate at any games this weekend after he and his family received online death threats following recent highly controversial red card decisions he handed out.
Headache for Ajax as keeper Onana drops the ball and gets one year ban for doping
February 9 – Ajax’s international goalkeeper André Onana (pictured) has been banned for one year by UEFA for a doping infraction and is set to miss next year’s African Cup of Nations in his home nation of Cameroon for whom he has 15 caps.
AFC bans China’s Shandong Luneng from Champions League for breaking money rules
February 9 – Chinese Super League side Shandong Luneng have been kicked out of the AFC Champions League group stages for unpaid debts.
CAF pushes decision on whether ‘born-again’ Ahmad can stand for presidency back to FIFA
By Andrew Warshaw
February 8 – Thrown out, surprisingly re-instated, and now apparently thrown out again in a battle for supremacy within African football’s warring factions. The saga over disgraced Confederation of African Football (CAF) chief Ahmad Ahmad’s presidential status has taken another unexpected twist typical of the political shenanigans at the highest level of African football’s heirarchy.